National RSD Specialist

Terms of Reference

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time National RSD Specialist within the Azerbaijan Protection team in Baku, Azerbaijan.

UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.

Title: National RSD Specialist

Duty Station: Baku, Azerbaijan

Duration: Up to 31/12/2021

Contract Type: Local ICA Specialist (LICA7)

Closing date: 20 September 2021

Start date: 01 October 2021

Organisational context

UNHCR has implemented the Asylum Systems Quality Initiative in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Project since 2014. The overarching objective of the consultancy is to improve the quality of asylum procedures, expand, and maintain asylum space in Azerbaijan by developing the capacity and expertise of asylum authorities, judiciary and other government stakeholders. In 2021 UNHCR continued to engage asylum authorities in Azerbaijan, through objective evaluation of the quality of procedures and mechanism in place and assisting authorities in developing their quality assurance systems. The  focus will also expand to include issues related to integration of refugees and will thus engage a wider range of government stakeholders. According to the specific national context and needs, there are the following types of activities: informal and formal meetings, regular on-the-job practical support and advice, sample assessments of the handling of a certain number of individual cases, observation of asylum interviews, joint evaluation of and/or drafting of internal guidelines/instructions, national level training exercises. There are also be regular opportunities to meet and share knowledge and experience, e.g. at the regional protection training workshops and project progress evaluation meetings.

Duties and responsibilities

The National RSD Specialist is a UNHCR-recruited consultant closely working with asylum authorities, judiciary and other government stakeholders. The Specialist conducts the following activities:

•           Continuation of intensive coaching and facilitating the exchange of experiences, using contacts established with other countries taking part in the project, on the best methods to determine the need for international protection in a single procedure;

•           Thematic training of government interlocutors on pre-determined themes;

•           Elaboration of common approaches and internal guidelines to deal with specific themes;

•           Monitoring and analysis of administrative and court instance asylum decisions in order to identify gaps and develop proposals to address them, potentially through training, exchange of information on good practices, development and provision of resource materials or otherwise;

•           Referral of cases to the selected partners for strategic litigation and follow up the submission procedure to ensure quality submissions;

•           Organization and participation of seminars for case workers, judges, lawyers providing legal aid regarding legal issues related to asylum.

•           Development of a work plan for implementation of short-to-medium term recommendations identified to address gaps;

•           Assistance in implementing strategies aimed to facilitate local integration of refugees in the country.  Based on individual case follow up model, monitoring of the process of local integration of refugees in Azerbaijan (access to socio-economic rights, naturalization procedures, access to labor market, entrepreneurship etc.).

•           Report to UNHCR on activities carried out and on recommended follow-up, including the establishment of internal quality assurance mechanisms within the national asylum authorities.

•           Assist the UNHCR office in organizing regional and local coordination meetings for planning, information exchange and evaluation;

•           Produce monthly and quarterly reports to ensure regular real time evaluation of the project;

•           Produce work plan for implementation of the gap analysis recommendations;

•           Produce practice improvement reports and recommendations as required;

•           Arrange jointly with UNHCR and migration authorities quarterly practical project coordination meetings at the technical level;

•           Produce agendas for national level trainings.

Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required

The ideal candidate will possess:

• University level degree in law or social sciences, preferably with a working understanding of relevant EU and national asylum law.

• The consultancy requires an experienced consultant, who has no less than five years of work experience of which minimum three years should be in the field of human rights or refugee protection. Knowledge of the national legislation of Azerbaijan related to refugee issues is essential. Previous refugee status determination work experience will be an asset, as would be previous work experience in UNHCR environment.

• High standard of written and oral English, Russian and Azerbaijani is essential;
  
   
• Ability to work in a team and in a multi-cultural environment;

• IT skills: Microsoft Office, Internet.

Location

The successful candidate will be based with the team in the UNHCR Baku, Azerbaijan.

Conditions

Local ICA Specialist Contract up to 31 December 2021 and the start date is in October 2021. It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

To apply

Interested applicants should submit their letter of motivation, Personal History Form (PHF) and CV to azebahr@unhcr.org indicating National RSD Specialist in the subject of the email.

Personal History Forms are available at PHF Form / Supplementary Sheet.

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.